Aspen Leading Edge

Chris Chapman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AccessLex Institute, discusses the reconciliation bill that caps federal student loan interest rates and shares how some schools are working to make law school affordable and accessible. Chris also shares the multiple focus areas and resources AccessLex provides.  

Alejandro Zeind, UNAM School of Law, Antonio Zeind, UNAM School of Law, and Erica Schommer, St. Mary’s University School of Law, discuss their recent book, Migration: A Binational Perspective for Mexico and the U.S. They share the story of how the book came together and the importance of collaborating with their students.

Margaret Hu, William & Mary Law School, discusses her new casebook, AI Law and Policy. She shares the primary stress points of AI and the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. Margaret also shares how national security will be affected by AI.

Rachel Anderson, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law, shares her experience in international law and offers advice for anyone considering pursuing international business transactions. Rachel also provides details about her first-edition casebook, International, Transnational, and Comparative Business Transactions.

Stephen Thaman discusses the first edition of his casebook, Criminal Procedure: A Comparative Approach, and shares the importance of examining the criminal process across different countries. He also talks about the importance of having engaging professors and students.

Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Dean of the University of Utah College of Law, shares updates on the law school, including a new Mental Health Legal Clinic, which will be in partnership with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s Crisis Care Center and the upcoming Undergraduate minor in Legal Studies. She also shares what the AALS Dean Steering Committee, where she is chair, has been up to.

Stephen Yeazell, UCLA, Joanna Schwartz, UCLS, and Maureen Carroll, University of Michigan Law School, discuss the twelfth edition of Civil Procedure and what new updates have been made to make the text more readable. They also share their thoughts on current events in Civil Procedure and how they are incorporating it into the classroom.

Mark Geistfeld, of NYU Law, discusses the third edition of his casebook, Product Liability Law in the Age of AI, which highlights new problems and cases related to artificial intelligence. He discusses specific cases related to Amazon Marketplace, video games, social media, and self-driving vehicles, such as Waymo.

Richard Moberly, Dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Law, reflects on the past ten years as dean, including the new strategic plan. He also discusses the Rural Law Opportunities Program, which will encourage undergraduate students to pursue law and, in return, practice in one of the many rural areas in Nebraska.

Amy Schmitz, The Ohio State University, and Janet Martinez, Stanford Law School, talk about the first edition of their coursebook Digital Dispute System Design: Using Technology in Preventing and Resolving Conflicts. They share some examples of case studies included in the book and explain why it is essential for professors to incorporate technology into their courses.

Hari Osofsky, Northwestern University, reflects on her time as dean and her future plans, including the Rule of Law Global Academic Partnership and the newly announced Energy Innovation Lab. 

Sara Berman, USC Gould School of Law, talks about her experience in lawyering skills, academic success, and bar success. She also discusses the importance of critical reading and how reading with three senses will be the most effective tool.

Alena Allen, Dean of Louisiana State University Law Center, reflects on her first two years leading the institution and shares her vision for its future. She discusses her passion for mentoring lawyers who aspire to become law professors and offers practical advice on entering academia. Dean Allen also highlights LSU’s robust clinical offerings, including business law and income tax clinics, and e...

Garfield AI is the first SRA-regulated AI legal services firm. Phillip Young, co-founder of Garfield AI, discusses the company's origins and its focus on small debt claims, helping small businesses recover outstanding invoices. He also shares some differences between the U.S. and the U.K. legal systems.

Ben Cooper, University of Mississippi School of Law, and Michael Cassidy, Boston College School of Law, discuss the third edition of Professional Responsibility in Focus and what updates they have made. They also share their thoughts on the relationship between AI and professional responsibility, including aspects of billing, disclosure, and privacy.

Douglas Laycock, University of Virginia Law School, and Richard Hasen, UCLA School of Law, discuss the updates to the sixth edition of their casebook Modern American Remedies: Cases and Materials. They detail the extensive teacher’s materials, including multiple syllabus options, extensive notes, and a robust teacher’s manual. Douglas and Richard also talk about the updates to the remedies field a...

Corinna Lain, from the University of Richmond, discusses her new book, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, including the story of how she began writing the book and her research process. She also shares specific stories featured in the book, such as the origin of lethal injection and the stories of the executioners.

Monica Llorente, Northwestern Law, discusses the third edition of Drafting Contracts: How and Why Lawyers Do What They Do and the updates she made since joining the author team. She also shares the importance of AI, how the topic is constantly changing, and what she is doing to ensure that all the content within the text related to the topic is relevant.

Alex Kreit, Director of the Center of Addiction Law & Policy and Professor at Northern Kentucky University, discusses the changes in marijuana law and what they might mean in banking law. He also shares the new updates in the second edition of his casebook, Criminal Law in Focus, including the criminalization of homelessness, drug possession, and mass incarceration.

Stacy Leeds, Dean of Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, discusses the unique opportunities at the school, including the extensive Indian Legal Program and collaboration with the Navajo Nation. She talks about the Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles satellite campuses. She also shares her thoughts on the importance of Master's in Legal Studies programs and other related d...

Bernard Burk, Veronica Finkelstein, Wilmington University School of Law, and Nancy Rapoport, William S. Boyd School of Law, discuss the second edition of their book Ethical Lawyering: A Guide for the Well-Intentioned and the Importance of teaching Professional Responsibility. They also share their thoughts about AI in the field and how accounting firms are now adding lawyers. Veronica also gives a...

David Sklansky, Stanford Law School, and Andrea Roth, UC Berkeley, discuss the sixth edition of Evidence: Cases, Commentary, and Problems. They share details about the robust teacher’s manual and why they like teaching the course. There is also discussion about the rules of evidence and some of the unanswered questions.       

What’s the future of Wills, Trusts, and Estates in law school and beyond? In this episode, Naomi Cahn of the University of Virginia and Alyssa DiRusso of Samford University delve into the newly updated Wills, Trusts, and Estates in Focus, exploring why this field is more crucial than ever. From the impact of the NextGen Bar Exam to the rising demand for estate planning lawyers, they break down wha...

Andrew Manuel Crespo, Harvard Law School and the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, shares his journey from public defender to professor as well as the inspiration behind writing the first edition of Criminal Law and the American Penal System alongside John Rappaport. He gives details on what is included in the book and what students are looking for in their Criminal Law classes.

Douglas Whaley, Ohio State University, discusses his years of working in legal education and what changes he had seen throughout. He also shares his busy year of updating numerous casebooks including Problems and Materials on Secured Transactions, Problems and Materials on Commercial Law, and Problems and Materials on Debtor and Creditor Law.